Lionel Scaloni

Playing career

Club

Early years and Deportivo

Born in the small town of Pujato in the province of Santa Fe in Argentina, with Italian origins from Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Scaloni began his career in the Argentine Primera División with local club Newell's Old Boys and then Estudiantes, before joining Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain in December 1997 for 405 million pesetas.

Regularly used with the Galicians over an eight-and-a-half-year stint, he competed with Manuel Pablo and Víctor for both starting spots on the right flank. Due to a knee injury, he appeared in only 14 La Liga matches as Deportivo won the title for the first time.

After falling out with manager Joaquín Caparrós, Scaloni joined Premier League side West Ham United on loan on 31 January 2006, the final day of the transfer window, in an attempt to increase his chance of selection for the upcoming World Cup. He took the number 2 shirt from the departed Tomáš Řepka, and made his league debut for the East Londoners against Sunderland on 4 February; he also helped the team to reach the FA Cup final, a penalty shootout loss to Liverpool.

Racing Santander

Scaloni left West Ham after a permanent move could not be agreed. Deportivo released him on 1 September 2006 alongside Diego Tristán, one day after the close of the summer transfer window.

However, due to the fact there were no limitations for free agents, two weeks later Scaloni signed a one-year contract at Racing de Santander, The Cantabrians subsequently finished in mid table. He appeared – and started – in both games against his former club, both ending in 0–0 draws.

Italy On 30 June 2007, Scaloni moved to Lazio in Italy's Serie A on a five-year deal. In January of the following year, he returned to Spain, on loan to Mallorca for 18 months; subsequently, he returned to Rome, where he was rarely used for the following three seasons.

At age 35, Scaloni joined Atalanta in January 2013. He was released at the end of the campaign, but re-signed after failing to find a new club.

International

After making his debut for Argentina on 30 April 2003 in a friendly game with Libya, Scaloni was a surprise selection for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, taking the place of veteran Javier Zanetti who also played as a right wing-back. His only appearance of the tournament was the 2–1 extra time win against Mexico in the round of 16, on 24 June 2006 at the Zentralstadion, which he started and finished.

Coaching career

Assistant Scaloni, as an assistant coach, embracing the team after Argentina qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 11 October 2016, Scaloni joined compatriot Jorge Sampaoli's coaching staff at Sevilla. The following June, when Sampaoli was appointed as the new national team boss, Scaloni was again named as his assistant.

Argentina After Argentina's failure at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Sampaoli left his post as Argentina manager by mutual consent. Scaloni and Pablo Aimar were subsequently named caretaker managers until the end of the year. In November 2018, the former was confirmed in the post until the following June when the 2019 Copa América was due to take place. This decision unleashed a wave of criticism against Scaloni's appointment, including from legendary footballer Diego Maradona, who criticized the move for appointing an "unqualified" and inexperienced person in charge who "wouldn't even be able to direct traffic". Scaloni's appointment, at the time, was also seen as an offence against the national team due to the lack of consultation with other experienced managers at the time and the AFA was blamed for having no strategy regarding the appointment.

In the 2019 Copa América, he led the side to third place in Brazil, but not in the style fans expected as Argentina struggled to advance further in the tournament. The poor performance on Argentina's way to the third-place finish ultimately released a new wave of criticism against Scaloni appointment due to Argentina's inability to win the tournament despite expectation, and Scaloni's inadequate and inconsistent tactical performances. Despite calls to sack Scaloni, however, the AFA opted to extend Scaloni's contract until 2022, as AFA saw Scaloni's third-place finish acceptable.

Scaloni led Argentina to the 2021 Copa América title after defeating Brazil who were once again the hosts (1–0), helping them to win their first trophy in 28 years. In November that year, he was nominated for The Best FIFA Football Coach Award, but did not make the final three shortlist.

On 1 June 2022, Scaloni's Argentina won the 2022 Finalissima after defeating European champions Italy 3–0 at Wembley Stadium. On 16 November, Argentina beat the United Arab Emirates 5–0 in a friendly World Cup warm-up game ahead of the World Cup extending their unbeaten run to 36 matches, just one shy of Italy's record of 37.

On 22 November, Scaloni's side lost 2–1 to Saudi Arabia in their opening group stage match of the World Cup in Qatar ending their unbeaten run of 36 matches; the result was considered by Gracenote statistically the greatest upset in the history of the tournament. Nevertheless, they made it into the knockout stages after recording 2–0 wins over both Mexico and Poland. Argentina then overcame Australia (2–1) in the round of 16, and advanced over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals with a penalty shoot-out victory, following which Scaloni defended his team after controversy surrounding the fights and tension between Argentine and Dutch players during the ill-tempered shoot-out. After beating Croatia 3–0 in the semi-finals, the nation reached the final for the second time in eight years. He then led Argentina to their third FIFA World Cup title in the final against France, with the Argentine team winning via a 4–2 penalty shoot-out after the match had ended in 3–3 after extra time.

Scaloni's success in guiding the national team of Argentina to victory was widely seen as a shock, due to the fact that Scaloni suffered from consistent opposition against his appointment when he was first offered the job in 2018. He became the youngest manager since 1978, and the fourth youngest manager to win the World Cup, which, coincidentally, were both achieved by Argentine compatriot César Luis Menotti. Due to this shocking conquest by a manager deemed as too inexperienced for the job, Scaloni was also referred for having "Midas' touch", named after the ancient Greek mythological character Midas. Scaloni was recognised as the best men's national coach in the world in 2022 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

Almost a year later from the victory of the World Cup in Qatar, on 21 November, he led Argentina to a 1–0 win against Brazil at the Maracanã Stadium, in what would be the latter's first home defeat ever in World Cup qualification tournaments. He later guided his country to their record 16th title in Copa América in the 2024 tournament, defeating Colombia 1–0 after extra time in the final. Lautaro Martínez scored the winning goal in the 112th minute, having been assisted by Leandro Paredes and Giovani Lo Celso, all three of which were subbed on by Scaloni in the 97th minute; the coach was later praised for his substitutions.

On 28 May 2026, he announced the Argentina squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He led Argentina to three wins in the group stage against Algeria, Austria and Jordan respectively, before leading them to back to back 3–2 wins against Cape Verde and Egypt. They then advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Switzerland 3–1 after extra time in the quarter-finals, before facing England in the semi-final, the first competitive fixture between the sides since 2002. After England took the lead, Argentina responded with two late goals to reach the final for the second consecutive time. Aiming to become the first manager since Vittorio Pozzo of Italy to win the World Cup twice in a row, Scaloni's side lost to Spain in the final after a 1–0 extra time defeat.

Style of management Scaloni is regarded as one of the best men's national coaches in the world due to his success with the Argentina national team.

In his time as coach of Argentina, the national press nicknamed the national team 'Scaloneta'.

Scaloni has instilled a coaching philosophy with Argentina centered on fostering unity and camaraderie among players through team bonding and ensuring clear, open communication to define each player's role and value within the team structure.

Personal life Scaloni has both Argentine and Italian citizenship. His older brother, Mauro, also played at Deportivo, but did not progress beyond its reserve team. They have two sons.

In April 2019, Scaloni was run over while cycling in Calvià in Mallorca. Some media initially reported him to be in serious condition, but he was discharged a few hours later.

In 2024, a street was named after Scaloni in his hometown of Pujato.

Career statistics Club

International

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player Deportivo La Coruña La Liga: 1999–2000

Manager Argentina U20 2018 COTIF Tournament Argentina FIFA World Cup: 2022; Copa América: 2021, CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022 IFFHS Team of the Copa América Manager: 2021 IFFHS Men's World's Best National Coach: 2022, South American Coach of the Year: 2022 Panchina d'Oro: 2023 Globe Soccer Career Coach Award: 2023